Category: Soccer

The pregame narrative: After thrashing Honduras 6-0, Canada plays Curacao in the next round of group-stage matches. The underdog carries 10-to-1 odds to upset the streaking Canadians.

Check out our Canada vs. Curacao odds and my predictions for the men’s soccer match on June 21.

Canada vs. Curacao odds

Go to full Canada vs. Curacao betting markets

Canada vs. Curacao odds as of 3:02 p.m. ET on 06/19/2024.

Best bet

Canada halftime/fulltime (-138): Canada was well prepared for this year’s Gold Cup.

Les Rouges played two exhibition matches in the Canadian Shield earlier in June. They beat Ukraine, 4-2, and lost to Ivory Coast on penalties.

Canada was particularly strong against Ukraine, starting its best available 11 and going up 3-0 before half.

Both of those nations (No. 21 and No. 41) are significantly better than any team in Canada’s group for this tournament, all of which sit at No. 75 or lower in the FIFA rankings.

Honduras, which Canada just battered 6-0, is the highest ranked of the bunch.

Curacao is the lowest-ranked nation in the group (No. 91), so I certainly don’t expect a step up in competition for the second game.

For this wager to cash, Canada needs to be leading at halftime and at the final whistle.

The side scored two first-half goals against Honduras before adding four more by the end of the match.

If Les Rouges can replicate that early success vs. Curacao, holding out a lead should be no problem against an inferior opponent.

When these two nations last played in 2023, Canada went up 2-0 before half and held onto that score for the win.

Key stat: Canada has won seven matches in a row across all competitions when leading after 45 minutes

Canada vs. Curacao predictions made at 3:03 p.m. on 06/19/25.

The Canadian men’s national team starts its run at the Gold Cup against Honduras on Tuesday.

The pregame narrative: Canada won the inaugural Canadian Shield earlier in June and the nation looks to win its first Gold Cup since 2000. Les Rouges have the talent to make a run at this tournament and hold the third shortest odds (+600).

Check out our Canada vs. Honduras odds and my predictions for the men’s soccer match on June 17.

Canada vs. Honduras odds

Go to full Canada vs. Honduras betting markets

Canada vs. Honduras odds as of 4:20 p.m. ET on 06/15/2024.

Best bet

Canada halftime/fulltime (+100): For those who may be unaware, Canada would need to be leading at halftime and after 90 minutes of play for this pick to cash.

And I think that is well within the range of possibilities for this squad.

The attack, consisting of Jonathan David and Promise David, looks even more threatening than when Cyle Larin was in the starting 11.

Promise, a 23-year-old who plays in the Belgian Pro League, turned heads this season. He scored 24 goals in 41 matches across all competitions.

In the Canadian Shield, Les Rouges used their best available 11 and went up 3-0 over Ukraine and half and held on for a 4-2 win.

Both attackers, Jonathan and Promise, scored in the first half.

For reference, Ukraine sits 25th in FIFA’s rankings, while Honduras is much further down at 75.

Canada is currently ranked No. 30 and continues to rise by outperforming the nation’s standard.

Key stat: When Canada and Honduras last met in March 2023, Les Rouges jumped out to a 2-0 lead before half and ended up winning 4-1.

Canada vs. Honduras predictions made at 1:45 p.m. on 06/15/25.

The FIFA Club World Cup continues on Monday with six more teams in action.

The latest: Chelsea starts its tournament against Los Angeles FC in a match where the London club is heavily favoured. Later on, Benfica and Boca Juniors clash to close out the first round of Group C games.

Check out the best FIFA Club World Cup prop picks for Monday’s group-stage matches.

FIFA Club World Cup prop picks

Best bet: Nicolas Jackson anytime goal (+120)

Chelsea had a pretty good season, finishing fourth in the Premier League.

To open the FIFA CWC, the English side will take a step down in competition to face Los Angeles FC.

The fifth-place team in the MLS Western Conference has been lacklustre this season with seven wins, five losses and four draws.

That’s not the ideal form to be in when welcoming a top EPL side. I expect Chelsea to dominate, and a standard starting 11 should be deployed.

That means Jackson should be up front.

• The 23-year-old started 28 games in the EPL this season and scored 10 goals.

• In Chelsea’s last match on May 28 in the UEFA Conference League, Jackson scored a goal in a 4-1 win.

That result was over Real Betis, who by all accounts should’ve been a tougher opponent than Los Angeles FC will prove to be.

That’s due to the fact that Real Betis plays in La Liga in Spain, one of the top leagues in the world.

But from top to bottom, the Premier League remains the best, and this is another opportunity for Chelsea to prove that.

Key stat: LAFC is conceding 1.4 goals per match in the MLS through 16 games.

Full FIFA Club World Cup betting markets

Boca Juniors vs. Benfica best bet

Vangelis Pavlidis to score or give an assist (+115): Benfica isn’t on the same level as Chelsea, but the Portuguese side is a staple in the Champions League.

Greek attacker Pavlidis leads the way and is the target man of every attack Benfica puts forward.

• The 26-year-old scored 29 goals and added 12 assists in 53 appearances across all competitions this season.

• That includes seven goals in 13 Champions League matches.

Benfica’s first opponent at the FIFA CWC, Boca Juniors, is a good squad for the Argentinian Primera Division (currently second place). But it is definitely far behind in terms of talent.

The Portuguese side is -132 to score over 1.5 goals, and I’d be a fool not to assume Pavlidis will be involved, especially if Benfica scores multiple times.

FIFA Club World Cup prop picks made at 4;15 p.m. on 06/15/2025.

The Gold Cup begins this weekend, with three North American teams atop the odds board.

The latest: USA and Mexico are neck-and-neck as the favourites, with Canada not far behind. Les Rouges brought an exceptionally strong squad to this tournament, even in the absence of their captain, Alphonso Davies, who is out with a torn ACL.

Here are the latest CONCACAF Gold Cup odds for the 2025 soccer tournament.

Gold Cup odds

Full Gold Cup markets and latest odds

Gold Cup odds as of 11:41 a.m. ET on 06/13/2025.

The favourites: USA (+175), Mexico (+187)

• The USA is missing three top players. Captain Christian Pulisic opted to skip this tournament while Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah are unavailable as Juventus plays in the FIFA Club World Cup. Still, the Americans boast a deep squad under new manager Mauricio Pochettino.

• Mexico is fresh off winning the 2024 CONCACAF Nations League, beating both Canada and the USA last year. The Tricolour are bringing an experienced and talented group to this tournament, but they’re missing forward Hirving Lozano due to injury.

Canada’s odds

Canada (+550)

The Canadians are primed for a deep run.

Without Davies, Les Rouges hammered Ukraine 4-2 in the inaugural Canadian Shield — a four-team friendly tournament — picking up their first win over European competition since 2011.

Canada then lost in penalties to the reigning AFCON champions, Ivory Coast, after forcing a 0-0 draw in regulation.

With those two results, Jesse Marsch’s side boasts a 6-1-3 record in regulation since losing to Argentina in the 2024 Copa America semis.

The Canadians currently sit 30th in FIFA’s rankings, which is their highest spot ever.

There are no notable absences for Les Rouges outside of Davies, with names like Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, and Tajon Buchanan all slated to play.